In a highly competitive industry where margins are tight and customer expectations are sky-high, airlines must continually innovate to stay ahead of the curve. That's why South Africa's leading low-cost carrier, FlySafair, has turned to artificial intelligence (AI) to streamline its operations and deliver an exceptional travel experience.

FlySafair welcomes nine million passengers onboard every year. "Running an airline means constant innovation, and innovation to me means doing the basics brilliantly, using technology to ensure people and processes work seamlessly," says FlySafair's Executive Manager and CIO, Eswee Vorster. "This allows us to provide a hassle-free experience for customers."

Faced with the challenges of manual, repetitive work that couldn't scale, FlySafair turned to UiPath's automation platform to boost internal efficiencies and keep its focus on passengers. Through a partnership with local UiPath Gold Partner Datafinity, the airline has implemented seven automations that have transformed key operational areas.

Automation for faster flight booking

One of the first automations implemented was designed to enable FlySafair’s customers to book their flights faster and take a seamless first step to their trip, often to a much-anticipated holiday. Using AI-powered automation, the airline has helped its booking process, slashing the time taken to manually create large bookings from 30 minutes down to just 5 minutes. In addition, automating the airline's invoicing process for partner flights has also reduced hours of manual work while protecting crucial revenue streams.

FlySafair’s team’s appetite for innovating with automation and AI has been a solid catalyst for adoption. "We avoided talking in jargon or attempting to explain automation using words alone," Vorster explains on the speed with which teams have embraced the technology. "We built a demonstration, which showed a robot at work in a sandbox environment. My colleagues could see it operating at incredible speed on the screen, using the same interface as a human, but so much faster. They were instantly sold on the idea."

By naming the robots "Hercules" - a nod to Safair's history of heavy-lifting cargo planes - FlySafair could also tap into the shared pride and excitement of long-serving employees, helping drive acceptance and adoption of the new technology.

Today, FlySafair has two unattended intelligent robots working across their automations, bringing huge value to the business. And they're just getting started. The airline is now entering the next phase of its automation journey, looking to expand into the back office to improve efficiency and help the business scale.

Sky is the limit for innovating with AI

"We're fortunate to have a culture that values innovation and improvement," says Vorster. "It's part of our DNA. When we speak to colleagues about new technology, they know it will improve their work, not threaten their job."

As South African businesses navigate economic uncertainty and the need to remain competitive and efficient, FlySafair's experience with using the UiPath Platform demonstrates the power of automation to drive operational excellence and unlock new possibilities for growth. By starting small, embracing a culture of innovation, and partnering with the right experts, any organisation can begin its own automation journey and soar to new heights.